Several years ago, I tried Chēbē’s products at an expo and fell in love. The mix itself is free from pretty much every allergen, is vegan, and tastes wonderful. It is incredibly versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. I have recently partnered up with Chēbē and will be developing a few recipes with their products over the next couple of months.

The first recipe I came up with is this Feta, Olive and Rosemary Focaccia. Since the dough is made with tapioca and there is cheese added to it, the bread is perfectly crispy on the outside while keeping a chewy texture inside.

If you wanted to use this for sandwiches, I could see it being delicious with Italian meats, vinegar and spices. That being said, it’s packed with flavor on its own and I enjoyed it dipped in a bit of olive oil with a glass of red wine. I will warn you, it is incredibly addictive and it didn’t last 24 hours in our apartment before we finished the whole loaf (there are only 2 of us).

If you are interested in trying out this recipe, I have seen Chēbē products in Whole Food’s or you can order boxes through their website.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients (Prep Time: 15 min. TotalTime: 60 min. Serves:8):

1 package Chēbē Focaccia Bread mix

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup crumbled feta

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, diced

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced

4 Tbsp. milk

Optional Garnishes:

Thinly sliced lemon rounds

A few extra olives

Rosemary

A sprinkle of flaky sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with 1 tsp. of olive oil.

I am going to keep this post short and sweet. This is an incredibly easy, grain-free dessert that’s perfect for a fall date night treat. You won’t need to turn on your oven, or your stove and it only needs one bowl. I recommend refrigerating it for an hour or two before serving it because it needs some time to set and it tastes a lot better cold.

I layered the pumpkin mousse with pumpkin flavored Within/Without granola which made this taste like creamy pumpkin pie. I absolutely love their granola, it’s grain-free and has a unique chewy texture. The seasonal pumpkin flavor is amazing and I’ve been sprinkling it on everything I can lately. If you want to give it a try, out you can order it online here!

Ingredients (Prep Time: 10 min. TotalTime: 60 min. Serves: 2):

1 cup Within/Without Granola

2/3 cup heavy cream

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Mix in cream cheese until well incorporated but mixture is still fluffy.

Mix in pumpkin pureé, powdered sugar, vanilla and pumpkin spice.

Layer 2 tbsp. granola followed by 1/4 cup mousse in small cups. Refrigerate until mixture has set and chilled, about 1 hour. Enjoy!

I’ve always considered Mac & Cheese an ultimate comfort foods However, as I got older, I started eating gluten-free and my taste buds evolved a bit and boxed mac and cheese lost its appeal.

I came up with a healthy gluten-free mac and cheese recipe using Banza noodles made from chickpeas. They are high protein and have a unique texture. I think they taste especially great in this mac & cheese recipe and add something interesting to it.

A fellow blogger recommended cooking the noodles in chicken broth for extra flavor which was a great idea. I also threw in some broccoli to cut down on the carbs a bit and add some extra veggies. However, that is totally optional and can be omitted. This is a great recipe for a healthier twist on classic Mac & Cheese that both kids and adults will enjoy. This recipe will make about 3-4 servings as a side dish or 2-3 servings as a meal.

Ingredients (Total time: 30 min. Serves: 8):

1 box Banza Noodles

2 cubes chicken bullion

2 cups chopped broccoli florets

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. gluten-free all purpose flour (I usually use Bob’s Red Mill)

1 ½ cups 2% milk

¼ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. pepper

1 ½ cup shredded cheddar

½ cups shredded parmesan

extra salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles in a medium pot according to package directions, but throw 2 cubes of chicken bullion into the boiling water. Once cooked, drain, place back into pot and set aside.

Steam broccoli until completely cooked, drain and place in pot with noodles.
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. Let the mixture bubble for about 1 or 2 minutes stirring the entire time.

Slowly add milk to flour mixture about ¼ cup at a time whisking the entire time. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the next ¼ cup of milk. Repeat until you have added all the milk and until the sauce is nicely thickened. Continuing to whisk the entire time.

Whisk in paprika and garlic powder. Once incorporated, add in all of the cheese and whisk until totally melted.

Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and broccoli and mix in cheese sauce.

I am currently about 1/3 of the way through my first Whole 30. At the end of the month, I am going to post a bunch of tips as well as more about my experience with the challenge. For now, I have a recipe that I came up with last week for a curry chicken salad.

I made a big batch of it last Sunday and had it multiple times during the week. It was a nice break from some of the more plain meals I have been making and was very flavorful and filling.

This recipe makes about 8 hearty servings and is completely compliant. Just make sure you check the labels on all of your ingredients. If you prefer, you can easily swap the almonds for cashews or pecans. This would also be delicious with fresh grapes instead of raisins I just didn’t have the patience to cut a bunch of grapes in half.

If you’re not doing Whole 30 this is still a great dinner idea, you just don’t need to be as worried with the mayo that you use.

This weekend, Josh and I did a belated Valentines day dinner. Last year for Valentine’s day I made us a a non-vegan Italian dinner but since we switched to a plant-based diet this year, that was no longer an option. I did some digging around and found The Minimalist Baker’s Eggplant Lasagna Roll-Ups. They are filled with a tofu based, vegan ricotta and nestled in marinara sauce. I cannot recommend her recipe enough, and if you are looking to make a delicious, date-night meal I would highly suggest trying it. I pretty much followed her recipe exactly but I served the roll-ups with pasta and a salad I did make my own marinara sauce.

Marinara is a simple recipe in terms of ingredients but, for it to taste best, it does need to simmer for a while. The longer you cook it down, the more the flavors come together. If I have time, I will even make the sauce the night before I need it and put it in the fridge overnight. It’s honestly surprising how much more flavorful it gets as you let it sit.

It is one of my favorite recipes and I’ve been making it for years. Every time I make Italian food, this is my go-to sauce and I am really excited to share the recipe.

Ingredients (Prep Time: 10 min.Total time: 40 Min.Serves:5):

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

29 oz. can crushed tomatoes

14 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp. sugar (coconut sugar or agave would work also)

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in onion and sauté until softened (about 5 minutes).

Reduce heat to low, add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Stir and let simmer for at least 25 minutes (up to an hour if you have time)* stirring every once in a while to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Stir in chopped basil and parsley and let sit for 5 minutes.

Put this sauce on whatever your heart desires, dip bread in it, have it plain with pasta, or use it for a fancy schmancy date night meal.

*The longer you can let the sauce simmer the better. If I have time, I will let it simmer for an hour. It lets the sauce thicken and the flavor develop.

Last night, I found a perfectly ripe mango that I completely forgot about in the fruit bowl on my fridge. I threw two bananas in the freezer and went to bed excited try out a new smoothie recipe for breakfast. Yes, I lead a very exciting life, I know. Anyways, the smoothie turned out to be delicious. The mango was so sweet and frozen bananas made it perfectly creamy.

What really made it unique and flavorful was turmeric. Turmeric is aromatic and smells a bit like spicy orange. It has a pungent, earthy taste, is sweet and bitter at the same time, and pairs really well with ginger. It’s also known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties as well as a slew of other health benefits, so I try to throw it into recipes as much as possible. I also try to take a turmeric supplement whenever I remember, but I’ll save that for another post.

This smoothie makes for a filling, treat-like breakfast. It is naturally very sweet, I threw a date in mine but you can absolutely leave it out and it will still be delicious. I also love to throw flax seeds in everything because they are essentially flavorless but are full of heart-healthy fats and fiber. If you don’t have any on hand you can omit them as well. The recipe below makes 2 large smoothies.

Toss all ingredients into a blender and blend on high speed until well incorporated.

Enjoy!

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About Me

Hi, I’m Christina! I’m a huge foodie, travel and fitness lover, and try to live as healthy and holistically as possible. I believe how you eat and treat your body has a major impact on how you feel both physically and mentally. I have followed a gluten-free diet since I was 19 and love sharing my recipes and lifestyle hacks with others! More About Me!